Shifting mechanism for time



y 93 E. e. WATKINS ET AL 2,165,117

SHIFTING MECHANISM FOR TIME REOORDERS Filed June 2, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 (Biz; 6 5 E327 I 5 46 5 11 31- 22 |1| 5 h 27 i 116 '2' Q 5 r J a 7 .22 755.1 gwryafmhi y 41, 1939- E. s. WATKINS El AL 165,117

SHIFTING MECHANISM FOR TIME BECORDERS Filed June 2, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 4, 1939 2,165,117

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHIFTING MECHANISM FOR TIME RECORDERS Edward G. Watkins and James A. Dell, Gardner, Mass, assignors to Simplex Time Recorder Company, Gardner, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application June 2, 1936, Serial No. 83,128

1 Claim. (01. 200106) This invention relates to machines for making tical slide bar 26. The bar 26 is slotted at its a printed record of an employees working hours, upper end, as indicated at 21 in Fig. 1, and is usually upon a weekly time card. A common slidable on a fixed stud 28, the upper end of the form of card provides separate vertical columns slot 21 acting as a stop to limit downward movefor different In and Out records, which in ment of the bar. 5 turn necessitates periodical relative transverse The lower portion of the bar 26 is slidable in adjustment between the card holder and the a recessed guide 29 (Fig. 2), and a spring 30 printing mechanism in order that the diiferent yieldingly holds the bar normally in its lowermost records may be correctly located in their assigned position. A stud 3| on the bar 26 limits swingcolumns. More commonly, the card holder or ing movement of the pawl 23 counter-clockwise l0. chute is shifted transversely relative to the printas viewed in Fig. 2, and a stud 32 on the bar ing mechanism, which latter remains in a fixed 26 limits movement in the opposite direction unposition. der the influence of a spring 33.

It is the general object of our invention to A bracket 35 (Fig. 2) on the bar 26 is loosely provide improved means for accomplishing this connected at 36 to the outer end of an arm 31 15 transverse relative adjustment between the card swinging about a fixed pivot 38. A forked link holder or chute and the printing mechanism at 40 (Fig. 7) operatively connects the arm 31 to the predetermined time intervals. upper end of a solenoid plunger 4|, slidable ver- A further object is to provide means to prevent tically in a solenoid coil 42. When the solenoid any possibility of over-feed of the moving part. is energized as will be hereinafter described, the 20 A preferred form of our invention is shown in plunger 4| is moved upward and acts through the drawings, in which the link 4|] and arm 31 to raise the bar 26 against Fig. 1 is an end elevation of our improved the tension of the spring 30. As the baris raised, shifting mechanism; the pawl 23 swings clockwise under the tension 25 Fig. 2 is a rear view, looking in the direction of the spring into DOSitiOH to engage e ex 25 of the arrow 2 in Fig. 1; tooth of the ratchet wheel 22.

Fig. 3 is a partial plan view, looking in the As soon as the solenoid circuit is broken, the direction of the arrow 3 in Fig. 1; spring 30, assisted by gravity, quickly restores the Fig. 4 is a partial front elevation, looking in the parts to their initial lowered position and advances direction of the arrow 4 in Fig. 3; the ratchet wheel 22 one space. 3

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional rear elevation, taken It will be noted that when the parts are in the along the line 5-5 in Fig. 1; normal lowered position indicated in Fig. 2, the Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view, taken along enlarged head of the pawl 23 is interposed bethe line 6-6 in Fig. 2; and tween the ratchet wheel 22 and the stop 3| in 35 Fig. 7 is a detail front elevation, looking in the such manner that further forward or anti-clock- 35 direction of the arrow 1 in Fig. 1. wise movement of the ratchet wheel (as viewed Referring to the drawings, we have embodied in Fig. 2) is effectively prevented. At the same our invention in a construction in which a card time backward rotation of the cross shaft H5 is holder or chute C (Figs. 1 and 4) is shifted prevented by a second ratchet wheel 45 (Fig. 5)

transversely relative to printing type wheels W fixed to the shaft and eng ge y a pa r of hold- 40 (Fig. 4). The card chute C is transversely sliding pawls 46, each of which is pressed against able on a fixed rod l6 and is connected to a rack the wheel by a spring 41 (Fig. 1). bar l2 having teeth |3 engaging the teeth of a A ring (Fig. 1) is mounted on the sleeve mutilated pinion l4, mounted on a sleeve I5 which 5 a o e the mutilated pinion l4 and s r0- 45 is rotatable on a cross shaft IS. A collar I! (Fig. tatable with the pinion and sleeve. The ring 50 45 3) is fixed on the shaft l6 and has a lug 18 enhas a projection 5| (Fig. 4) adapted to be engaged by a pin l9 projecting outward from the gaged by a stud 52 in the rack bar |2 as the sleeve I5. A lost motion connection is thus prorack bar and card chute comp their return vided between the pinion l4 and the cross shaft movement to the left after release by the muti- 50 IS. A spring 20 is connected to the card chute lated pinion. 50 and holds the pin I9 (Fig. 3) in yielding engage- In order to close the solenoid circuit at the ment with the lug l8. desired time intervals, we provide a timing disc A ratchet wheel 22 (Fig. 2) is secured to the 55 (Figs. 2 and 6) mounted on a shaft 56 accross shaft l6 and is engaged by a feed pawl 23 tuated by suitable time mechanism and making 55 pivoted at 24 to a bracket 25 mounted on a verone complete revolution in twenty-four hours. 55

This timing disc 55 has an inner series of holes 51 and an outer series of tapped holes 58.

Clips 60 are provided for attachment to the timing disc 55. Each clip has a stud 6| (Fig. 2) at the outer end and a second stud 63 at the inner end, the stud 63 being on the opposite side of the clip and being adapted to be inserted in one of the inner series of openings 57. Each clip 60 also has a segmental slotted portion 64 through which a clamping screw 65 may be inserted in one of the tapped holes 58. With this construction, clips Bil may be secured to the timing disc 55 in any desired angular spacing.

An arm 10 (Fig. 6) is secured to a rock shaft 'II mounted in fixed bearings in the recorder frame, which arm I9 is provided with an offset end portion 12 extending into the path of the studs 61 in the outer ends of the clips 69.

A second arm 14 (Figs. 2 and 6) is mounted on the rock shaft Ii, and a spring 15 is connected between the arm 74 and a fixed stud iii. A third arm as is also secured to the rock shaft 7| and has a horizontally offset lower end 8i (Fig. 2) which engages the rear face of a post 84 (Fig. l) pivoted at its lower end in a fixed bearing 85.

A stop pin 86 (Fig. 1) limits forward movement of the swinging post 84, and a cross-pin 8'1 in a stud 88 limits rearward movement of the post. A spring 89 on the stud 88 yieldingly presses the post 84 rearward against the offset portion 8! of the arm BIB. A pawl 99 is pivoted at 91 on the post and is yieldingly pressed downward by a spring 9'2.

The circuit through the solenoid coil 42 comprises a line wire see (Fig. connected to one terminal of the coil 42 and a wire fill connecting the second terminal of the coil to a cross-plate I92 (Fig. 2) mounted on a fixed bar of nonconducting material M33. The cross plate Iii? is connected to a fiat metal spring Iii i, also supported on the non-conducting bar we, said spring having a contact element I95 at its upper end.

The contact element N35 is positioned for engagement with a second contact element H16 mounted on a cross-plate 187 which in turn is supported on a fixed block it of hard rubber or other non-conducting material. A second line wire IIG is connected to the cross plate W7.

A plate I12 (Figs. 1 and 2) of non-conducting material is clamped to the upper end of the spring 1M and extends upward therefrom. At its upper edge the plate H2 is provided with a ledge H3 which projects into the path of a shoulder H4 on the lower edge of the pawl 99.

When the post 85 and pawl 93 are moved forward from normal rearward position, the shoulder ii i engages the ledge H3 and pushes the contact element Hi5 forward into engagement with the contact element I86, thus completing the solenoid circuit and causing upward movement of the solenoid plunger 41.

An arm I26 (Fig. l) is fixed to the upper end of the solenoid plunger 41 and extends rearward therefrom. The pawl 98 has an end portion I22 extending forward over the arm I28. As the plunger 41 moves upward, the arm I28 engages the end portion I22 of the pawl 96 and moves the pawl upward so that the shoulder lid is released from the ledge I I 3, thereby permitting the spring I04 to move rearward, and break the solenoid circuit.

Upward movement of the plunger AI is limited by a collar I25 (Fig. 1) and cushioning washer I26 both secured to the lower end of the plunger.

Having described the details of construction of our improved shifting mechanism, it is believed that the method of operation will be readily understood.

Each time that a stud BI in a timing clip 60 engages and depresses the arm It on the rock shaft 1 I, the arm 80 is moved rearward, thus permitting the post 84 to swing rearward and resetting the pawl 96, at the same time tensioning the spring I5.

When the stud 6i clears the end portion I2 of the arm ill with which it has engaged, the spring 75 restores the parts to normal position and pushes the post 84 forward, thus closing the circuit between the contacts I05 and IE6.

The solenoid then operates to lift the sliding bar 26 and the feed pawl 23 upward and to tension the spring 38, at the same time lifting the pawl 99 so that the solenoid circuit will be promptly broken.

As soon as the circuit is broken, the spring 30, assisted by gravity, moves the bar 26 and pawl 23 downward, advancing the ratchet wheel 22 one space only. The enlarged head of the pawl 23 then cooperates with the stud 3| to prevent overfeed.

Each time the solenoid operates, the pinion I4 is moved clockwise one space (as viewed in Fig. 4) and shifts the card chute 0 one space to the right. At the next advance movement of the pinion 14 after the card chute has been shifted to its extreme right-hand position, the mutilated portion of the pinion will be moved to a position to clear the teeth l3 of the rack bar I4, thus permitting return movement of the card chute by the spring 26.

As this return movement to the left is completed, the stud 52 (Fig. 4) engages the projection ill on the collar 50, so that the next angular advance movement of the pinion will again shift the card chute and will also cause the pinion teeth to reengage the teeth on the rack bar.

The lost motion connection between the pinion I4 and the cross shaft I6 permits manual yielding movement of the card chute against the tension of the spring 20 for making certain irregular registrations.

Having described our improved shifting mechanism, it will be seen that we have provided for instantaneous and accurate shifting movements of the card chute at predetermined intervals, under the control of the time mechanism but operated from an external source of power, so that the load on the time mechanism is extremely slight. Furthermore, we have provided a construction by which the timing of the shifting movements may be very easily rearranged as often as desired by merely resetting the clips on the timing device,

While we have illustrated our invention as embodied in a machine in which the card chute is shifted transversely and the printing mechanism has no transverse movement, which arrangement per se is old in the patent to Campbell No. 1,201,555, issued October 17, 1916, our invention also contemplates the alternative arrangement of transversely movable printing mechanism and a transversely fixed card chute, also shown to be old in the patent to Hawley, No. 917,761, issued April 13, 1909.

Having thus described our invention and the advantages thereof, we do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claim, but what we claim is:

In a time recorder having a shiftable element,

means for shifting said element bodily including an electro-magnetic operating device, an electric circuit for said device and relatively movable contacts in said circuit, that improvement which comprises the combination therewith of an actuating device efiective to move one of said contacts to close said circuit, means to so move said actuating device, automatic means to disengage said actuating device immediately after the circuit is closed and before said moving means and said actuating device are withdrawn, resetting devices, and automatic time-controlled means effective to thereafter withdraw said mov ing means and thereby permit said resetting devices to place said actuating device in operative relation to the contact actuated thereby, said time-controlled means releasing said moving means at a predetermined later time so that said moving means will move said actuating device to again close said circuit.

EDWARD G. WATKINS.

JAMES A. DELL. 

